Lifestyles

I Am Healthy Northeast a movement for moving

By Jessa Hatch

NCHD Public Information Officer

Posted:
06/09/2016 07:05:25 AM MDT

I Am Healthy Northeast is a movement we started promoting at the Northeast Colorado Health Department to inspire people to take action to incorporate better physical activity, nutrition and healthy weight into their daily lives. The reasoning behind the focus on physical activity, nutrition, and healthy weight came directly from key health issues we uncovered during our public health planning process back in 2013. During that process, we identified not only overweight and obesity as being a significant health issue in northeast Colorado, but we also have some major issues with chronic disease. Increasing our levels of physical activity, getting better nutrition and maintaining healthier weights are all things that anyone can do that over time can have an enormous positive impact on many of those health issues.

We have created a Facebook group called "I am Healthy Northeast" centered on positivity and inspiration. Our vision for the Facebook group is to inspire community involvement and leadership, to promote better physical activity, nutrition, and overall a healthier northeast Colorado. We encourage members to post healthy recipes, exercises, progress with fitness or questions they may have. We want to know about any upcoming fitness or wellness events that are happening in our area. Having a virtual group with similar goals makes it easier to develop healthy habits and stay on track. Please join our group on Facebook and become a part of this community movement toward a healthier northeast Colorado.

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In addition to the Facebook group, we have started helping the city of Sterling with Walking Wednesdays. Every Wednesday we walk in a different park around Sterling at 12:05 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. for about 45 minutes. It is recommended for the average adult to get at least 2 and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. Moderate-intensity can be brisk walking, water aerobics, or even pushing a lawn mower. Walking Wednesdays give us a chance to help Sterling reach this goal while being outdoors, experiencing the beautiful parks in our community all while meeting new and interesting people. Please join us every Wednesday at one of Sterling's great parks. The schedule is always up on our Facebook page "Northeast Colorado Health Department" — we hope to see you soon!

We are also working with local libraries to teach children about the benefits of staying active and the dangers of sugar-sweetened beverages. We will be traveling to area libraries throughout the summer to participate in the Colorado Statewide Summer Reading Program, whose theme this year is "On Your Mark, Get Set, Read!" We will contribute to their theme by playing games with the children while teaching them about their heart rates, how to best exercise their hearts, and why it is important to get regular exercise. Furthermore, most children do not even realize the amount of sugar that they are consuming from just one juice box, one soda, or one sports drink. By utilizing hands-on visual aid activities, we hope to bring this matter to the front of their minds and help them think twice next time they reach for a drink.

In comparison with the rest of the state, adults over 18 in our six counties are statistically significantly less physically active and more overweight and obese. They have statistically significantly higher rates of diabetes, higher rates of heart disease hospitalizations, and mortality. Our children eat considerably less of the recommended fruits and vegetables and consume more sugar-sweetened beverages when compared to the rest of the state. Moreover, our children age 2 to 14 have the highest overweight and obesity rates in Colorado. These are some of the issues that we hope to address through the community movement I am Healthy Northeast. Take action, help us make northeast Colorado healthier, join our walking group, join our Facebook group, or call Jessa at 970-522-3741 for more information on how to get involved.

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